Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va., where a six-year-old student shot and injured his teacher on Friday.Richneck Elementary School in Newport News, Va., where a six-year-old student shot and injured his teacher on Friday.
Authorities said the child acquired the gun at home and brought it to school in his backpack. The gun had been legally purchased by his mother. When asked if authorities would pursue charges — against the child or his parents or guardians — Drew replied that no decision will be made until after the investigation has been completed."Obviously, this is a tragedy on every level," said Julie Ellen McConnell, a law professor at the University of Richmond who directs the school's Children's Defense Clinic.In some states, your 6-year-old child can be arrested.
The gun had been stored in the family's home, police said, though they declined to share further details about how it was secured or how the child knew where the gun was. "However, allowing the minor to access that gun, leaving it unsecured, certainly could have endangered the life or limb of that child himself," said Allison Anderman, senior counsel and director of local policy at Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence."So I do think that this law could be used to hold accountable the adults."
The way i see it, parents should be jointly charged for any heinous crime their child commits until they reach 18 years-old. Only then will mental health awareness/treatments and gun laws become important.
You don’t. A 6 year old has no idea what he is doing, has not yet established right from wrong nor understands consequences.
Mens rea?
You need to look at the parents. There is negligence there.
Prosecute the parents.
They shouldn’t.
You don’t. Jesus. The CHILD needs help and lots of it. Charge the parents
By charging the parents with Depraved Indifference and Manslaughter. at 6 years, it is the Parents responsibility to insure that all weapons in the house are unreachable by the children in the house. Then I would look for mental health complaints that, like Uvalde, were ignored.
Prosecute the parent that owned the gun and mandate therapy for the child.
They should prosecute the parents. They should be charged with parent neglect among other charges.
Permanently remove the child from the parent's custody and prosecute the parents.
By making the parents accountable
If all else fails, sue the parents into destitition.
That teacher won't be the last person that child tries to kill.
Work backwards… prosecute the people (“responsible gun owners”) in charge of the child that gave him access. Period.
Prosecute the parents. Get the child mental health trearment.
Parents should account for most of blame and go to JAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just a fellow murican exercising their rights. Teaching kids how to deal with conflict at a young age. I like it
Mom need to go to jail and the kid needs to get his ass whooped big time.
Traumatizing to read, and disappointing that the child’s parents kept the gun in a place where he could access it. Well wishes to the teacher and her recovery.
They should charge the parents and get that kids lot of resources and help and better caregivers.
C'mon NPR - we expect much better from you.
Easy. Charge the parents!
Prosecute the parents. 12 years of therapy for the child.
Really small jail
AND NPR IS NOT A GUNMAN .. HE A 6 YEAR OLD BABY,..... GOT HIS MOTHER GUN FROM HER PURSE. THE MOTHER IS NARCISSISTIC.... MOTHER DID NOT LOCKED THE GUN UP FOR SAFETY . IT'S THE PARENT FAULT .. .
oh all the kid sion household need be in foster care ASAP and teh parent does not get them back until she or he served time and never own a gun ever ..
prosecute a crime committed by a first-grader? they dont .. they need prosecute his mother ... she left load gun in her purse .and she is adult and should known better .6 years old been on earth for 6 years and still a baby .doesn't . it the 100% parents faulty gun owners ..
Prosecute the parents / guardians!
What's the race of the child? I'm assuming he's not white since everyone's hush hush about race all of a sudden.
Give him the electric booster seat!
Just like they prosecute any juvenile. They also need to prosecute the kid's Mom.
Parents lose custody and he gets rehabilitation and intense oversight.
Why haven’t the parents been identified?
Charge the parents. It’s not like the kid just found a random gun.
Um, just prosecute the parent? How is this question so hard?
Charge the parents
Yes and as a felony because the child escalated his threats over several days plus his parents were advised and did nothing to deter him. That kid is a sociopath and not safe to be with people .
outlawdefiance
Imprison his parents
Here’s an idea. Put whoever owned the gun in jail for 30 years.
No such thing as kids rea lol. That child didn’t know what he or she was doing. In many states I don’t even think they’d be old enough to provide admissible testimony. The kid shouldn’t be charged. We need to learn to curb our carceral appetite.
What's so hard. You prosecute the parents because a parent is responsible for keeping his/her child safe and they failed.
That’s a question for a panel of child psychiatrists.
You prosecute the mother, full stop.
Ah, NPR, becoming buzzfeed step by step.
maybe school districts should follow the lead of Seattle school district’s suing SM companies, and sue gun makers.
Democrats are coming for your guns.
How about charging the parents for the gun?
Child goes into juvenile detention until 18. Parents serve prison time.
6 year olds commit crimes in black neighborhoods all the time. It’s only a problem when it effects white peoples There are no shortage of videos of little black kids stabbing and shooting each other. Do you live under a rock?
Solve that question, and maybe they’ll finally prosecute Trump.
Here's an even more uncomfortable question: how come a six-year-old child knows how to aim and shoot a weapon? We need stricter gun-control laws in this country.
Prosecute the parents. They are responsible.
Pretty sure the electric chair is out of the question. Twenty years to life might be a bit harsh. Repeating second grade? How about a good old fashioned spanking? Barbaric? Yeah, well attempted murder is pretty barbaric, even for a six year old.
It's meaningless to prosecute a kid, but, a new parent can help.
I’m all for holding the parents responsible, but statistically it is probably just one parent. Dad is probably out of the picture (and should probably be charged to for being a dead beat).
Charge his parents
It’s not difficult, the parents are 100% at fault and deserve to be prosecuted
Easy: charge the gun owner. Hint: it is not the 6-year old.
The parents or whoever negligently left both firearm and ammunition where a six-year-old could access it should be prosecuted.
This is a no-brainer. Make the gun owner(s) fully responsible for the actions of the child. Charge, prosecute, and incarcerate them.
Simple…prosecute the adult who failed to secure their firearm.
wrong question but also the parents
Depends on whether child is sociopath
Life in prison
he deserves an Honorary Life Membership in the NRA
Kid gets social services and psyc eval. And parent gets misdemeanor charge for unsafe storage of a handgun and child welfare investigation. The teacher should get a bonus and praise because she led the rest of the children to safety WITH a blown out hand and chest wound.
Prosecute the adult who did not secure the weapon.
By prosecuting the parent/guardian who gave the 6 year old child access to the loaded weapon.
Prosecute the parents to the full extent of the child's crime.
Uh, they don’t. It’s not uncomfortable or uneasy. It’s obvious.
Where were the parents?!?
And what about the parents ? Lock up the guns!
Well, well, ya throw the (Dick and Jane) book at him.....
It’s America, lawyer’s will find a way to blame others
Mom needs to be prosecuted. She didn't have the weapon secured.
Where was the good guy with a gun? (Sarcasm)
Charge the gun owners. I think it was Mom's gun.
Parents go to jail and the six year old gets extensive therapy.
Only in America...
Prosecute parents.
Can't be absent-minded with loaded guns in the house with no trigger lock on them and kids running around. They can and will find them.
The parents
The parents! The f***in’ parents!
They shouldn't. They should prosecute his parents and get him as much mental health care as they possibly can.
Death penalty
Why have his parents not yet been charged?
You prosecute the parents. Duh.
huh. Seems pretty simple to me… prosecute the parents. 🤷♂️
The child should be removed from the home
As a minor. A 6 year old has an undeveloped brain, has very little idea of the consequences of their actions, certainly does not understand the finality of death. Who allowed the child to obtain the gun? This is where charges of negligence comes to play.
Easy...don't prosecute 6 year-old. Get the child help, prosecute the parents and pass reasonable gun control laws.
Not that hard...parents.
Uh, they shouldn't.
Obviously they need to prosecute the gun owner (his mom) for unsafe storage and negligence resulting in death.
Lock him up!
Counterpoint: no it doesn’t
Hmmm maybe hold parents responsible in some fashion? I mean he’s SIX YEARS OLD. If parents were stopped for traffic violation, and no car seat for child, the child wouldn’t get the ticket would he ?
Sounds more like you get the kid help that they desperately need instead of seeking ways to punish
Um they should charge the adult that gave him access to gun
Easy; charge the parents/guardians/gun owner(s) as if they shot the teacher.
I don't know, but they better figure it out fast. The message that would send to kids with access to guns would just make teachers sitting ducks.
Hold the parents responsible!
They should prosecute the parents
The parents.
I mean, charging the parents is a start.
lsgordon In the past, the parents would be held responsible. They said a six year old is too young to know right from wrong.
The parent. They have accountability of maintaining safety of the firearms in the house.
Gotta love black america
CHARGE THE PARENTS. Jesus, how hard is that to figure out.
I heard NPR use the term ‘gunman’ to describe the kid....
This article is ridiculous
100% parents got to go down!! That’s all!
It’s not difficult at all. Charge the parents/gun owners. How many people have been wounded or killed because of irresponsible owners not locking up their guns? There is no justice for these victims of gun violence. It has to stop.
Obvious, prosecute the parents.
Death
Easy, prosecute whomever allowed a 1st grader access to the gun + ammo. If I gave a six year old a can of gasoline & a box of matches and sent the kid to school and he burns it all down, who would you say should be responsible?
Arrest the parents.
Under Virginia law, children under 7 cannot be charged with crimes.
lsgordon Make him take all math classes
The parent should be responsible
6 year olds can't commit crimes. The parents are at faukt here and they should be charged..
Death penalty. First graders will pay!
I suggest counseling for the child and jail time for the parents. Guns should never be out in a house and available to children.
The only way to stop a bad 6-year-old with a gun is with a good 6-year-old with a gun. NRA GOP congressdotgov NBCNews ABC maddow MSNBC
Charge the parents for negligence? This isn’t hard.
Prosecute. The. Parents.
There's no question of prosecution. He'll be put in counseling.
daily spanking in public till he ? is 18 by the teacher? parents and child spend 12 yrs in jail together?
Maybe society should be put on trial here.
Charge the parents with not securing their firearm.
Simple. Charge the parents. Charge the parents charge the parents charge the parents charge the parents charge the parents charge the parents charge the parents charge the parents charge the parents charge the parents charge the parents. That simple.
CPAC has asked the 6 year old to speak at their next gathering.
You’re better than this. They can’t prosecute him. HE’S SIX. He’s below the age of legal responsiblity. Not to mention it’s doubtful that he really understands the gravity of what he did.
Parent(s) for criminal negligence for a start. Not that hard.
It’s easy. It’s on the parents and get the kid some mental help.
Charge the parents. Sadly I feel like hell be arrested many more times in his life.
Shouldn’t there be a larger question: How do you prosecute parents / parent / guardian?
Prosecute whoever let that child get that gun - the gun owner who left it unsecured, whoever was supposed to be supervising the child, etc. The child should go to counseling though to address the behavior before it continues since it was described as intentional.
Gun Rights folks lost their minds when Ethan Crumbly, the Oxford MI shooter, and his parents were charged after Ethan killed almost half a dozen classmates. Prosecute the parents.
Parents?
You don’t prosecute a six year old. Good grief. Someone explain to me why the mother isn’t being charged with anything. She is the owner of the gun. She is a mother of a little child. She is responsible.
Is this little boy black or something, because I feel like that's the only reason that anyone would be trying to charge a literal six year old child
They should go after the person who gave the child access to the gun!
Prosecute the parents. The end.
What if the teacher was armed and started blasting
This kond of take is EXACTLY why I stopped listening to NPR. Howyo punish the 6 year old? Not parents or whoever left the gun unsecured so the the 6 YEAR OLD FIRST GRADER could access it?
Parents
Charge the parents. It's time. They owned the gun. They failed to secure it. They pay for it. The child needs RESPONSIBLE therapy.
By investigating the parents and extended family.... That's how
You don't prosecute a 6 year old. You try to help him. A 6 year old knows what a gun is. This child has severe psychological problems . Where is it coming from?
The way I figure it, this child must not be of the dark skin kind. Strictly due to all the confusion and drama about how to deal with this major tragedy. Usually the dark skin kids will go to jail for the rest of his life. If the assailant has light skin he get therapy and home
You put the kid in mandatory counseling and you prosecute the parent with every law available dealing with how and why the kid got a hold of the gun in the first place
You don’t. You prosecute the parents & gun owner for negligence JasonMiyaresVA. That’s the conservative ideal of SelfRegulation & ParentalChoice right? If a minor dependent commits a crime, the parents are held responsible.
Kid must be white then Hammer thr parents
All kinds of people to charge and prosecute here. Parents, NRA, GOP...
This is absolutely not uncomfortable, address the adults for negligence. The child needs help.
The family should be held responsible for not properly securing their weapons
How about child endangerment for mom for starters!🤦🏻♀️
YOU PROSECUTE THE ADULTS IN CHARGE OF THE CHILD AND THE WEAPON. Remove all children from these criminals, prosecute and jail time. .. GUNS AND KIDS.. NRA WET DREAM
Prosecute the family. Get the child the help they need.
obviously the child should be tried as an adult and sent to guantanamo
This is not hard. The child needs counseling and the parents must be prosecuted for having an unsecured weapon.
You don’t. You get that baby in therapy. You prosecute THE PARENTS.
prosecute the parents
How about by prosecuting the parents.
Against the parents. It ain't complicated.
A six year old isn’t capable of understanding the consequences of a situation like this. The parents 100% need to be looked at.
Lol no
The kid probably has parents or guardians so let’s start there A 6 year old didn’t buy a gun A 6 year old didn’t learn how to load a gun by himself A 6 year old didn’t learn how & when to use a gun by himself So his parents should probably be in jail Hope this helps 🖕🏼
The parent(s) are accountable for failure to secure the weapon.
The criminals are the parents. The child, and other children in the home if there are any, need to be put in therapy.
A shingling bright example of how carceral logic will rot your brain. This kid needs therapy. And maybe new parents.
Is it a white kid?
Parents. Criminal negligence, depraved indifference.
Seems like an easy question. Don’t.
first question is.. why did the kid do it. Therapy until they are 18.. Then if the person died, decide if they should go to prison.
In general response to posts: Most state laws do not allow for adjudication as an offender under 10 years of age. Instead, the child is adjudicated as a Child In Need of Care in which the state can take temporary or permanent custody, connect to programs, resources, etc. No jail
The parents. You prosecute the parents and try to help the child.
Put the whole family in jail and rehabilitate them. Isn’t that the purpose of incarceration.
Mom or dad got him the gun. Lock them up.
His parents must be held accountable for this crime. How does a six year old even come up with the idea that he wants to shoot his teacher. How does he even know how to fire a gun and how did the gun get into his backpack?
Hello NPR your reporters should avoid degrading themselves and the profession of journalism by pretending this is a difficult question. Given the article itself provides answers this is quite an unusual move on your part. Hope this helps.
You don't prosecute a 6 year old. Ever. The parent is responsible for what happened to the teacher. But the conversation should really be around getting everyone the help they need to make sure no further harm is done.
If the authorities are truly asking themselves such a question, the authorities badly need to take an entry level ethics class. Smfh.
They shouldn't. The fact that 'authorities' even think they should respond to children with fucking prosecutions is disgusting. No one suggesting prosecuting children should be in charge of anything more demanding than feeding themselves.
Reality. This country loves its guns so much that nobody really cares…. Oh, thoughts and prayers.
You don't prosecute the 6 year old. You prosecute the mom!!
. . . especially a first grader who will undoubtedly be running the RNC within 10 years.
We need to change the narrative around gun ownership- Owning a gun carries responsibilities, there are no gun accidents, only gun negligence
Arrest the Mom. Duh.
Not that uncomfortable and an easy answer. The one(s) responsible for the gun.
Go for the s!tty parents!
Therapy.
They should prosecute the parents for having a gun available to a child. This is beyond gross negligence, it’s assisting in attempted murder
Wow I cant believe NPR has an article that doesnt contain a slant against white americans for racism, feminism, LBGTQ etc.... Impressed.
life in prison for the kid of course
Treat the child like how this American system would treat a black child.
Oh is that the uncomfortable part?
They SHOULDN'T. There is no conceivable situation where a 6-year old should be criminally charged. NONE.
Charge the parents
Well Edison electrocuted an elephant, so anything goes I guess, who gave the kid a gun , what’s the point
Charge that 6 year old with manslaughter!
Won’t they use thoughts and prayers……
You don’t. That’s a baby. You prosecute who they got the gun for for negligent homicide. A kindergartner cannot stand trial. Ever. That poor baby. That poor teacher. This is from an educator who works with kids this age who have violence/emotional issues.
Not the best tweet. Rethink.
I guess figure out if somebody broke any gun storage laws that enabled a six-year-old to access a loaded firearm and prosecute them. of course if VA doesn't have gun storage laws we're back to the drawing board
CHPMarin did nothing except visit the family’s house and told me a six year old is not capable of actually committing such a crime. This child physically assaulted, & was caught touching other kids private parts, yet nothing happened. But there you have it. This can happen. 2/2
Prosecute the kids parents for leaving a loaded weapon somewhere where there 6 year old can find it. I hope that teacher sues the living shit out of them for negligence.
The parents
This needs to be taken seriously & parents need to be prosecuted. My daughter was bullied by a 6 year old girl in her 1st grade class who said “she was going to shoot my daughter, she knew the code to her dad’s gun locker, & was going to bring the gun to school and kill her”. 1/2
Really, NPR, *that's* the uncomfortable question?
It's very simple. Prosecute the parent for negligence.
You cannot prosecute a 6 yr old. I don’t think there is precedent for finding that a child that young can form the intent necessary to try them in court. This is not about the child, but the parents.
Criminal negligence by whoever owned the gun.
Change the laws so failure to secure a gun safely is a felony if used to commit a crime. Hold the adult accountable.
You don’t. You prosecute the parents.
GunControlNow ONLY FOR LITTLE whiteboys from birth to 40, ending ALL FUTURE MASS MURDERS! MASS MURDERS ARE ALL WHITE OR WHITE ADJACENT!!!America AmericanMonster USA UVALDE DYLANNROOF 27. Emanuel Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, S. Carolina americanhorrorstory
The parents DUH
PROSECUTE THE PARENTS. PROSECUTE THE GUN OWNERS. PROSECUTE WHOEVER LEFT A GUN THAT COULD BE STOLEN WHERE A 6 YO COULD STEAL IT. FFS, how is any of this a question?
Am I the only one thinking, this kid might be white. Because this is being slow walked.
Shoot him back
Prosecute the parents.
Easy. Arrest the parents.
Prosecute the fuck out of whoevers gun that was. That's how.
Easy. Prosecute the parents.
Prosecute the parents?
This is bothersome as well.
Press charges against the parent that did not secure their firearm
Get Mom
We've jailed 10 year olds and executed 14 year olds!
easy - the parents.
You don’t.
Kid and parents should be imprisoned, any sibs placed with foster families that don’t have guns.
Charge this child parents!
Prosecute his parents. Get that child into therapy. And enact laws that will eventually change our gun-friendly culture, just as we did with cigarettes and seat belts. Set aside our American arrogance (ignorance) and follow the successes of our peer nations.
Good God - it's a 6 year old baby! 'Prosecute' and 'crime' should not enter the picture for this child; they should be directed at whomever let the child have access to a gun. America loves to lock people up.
Prosecute the gun's owner(s) - simple ⚖️
You prosecute the parents. There is no excuse to have allowed a 6 year old to get access to a gun. None.
Start with removing the child from a home that taught him to resolve conflict with violence and gave him access to a gun.
If the adults don't know how to 'teach him his lesson' to make society safe, he sadly needs to be out of society until they figure it out or he does on his own.
- do better. Prosecute the parents.
They probably just shouldn’t prosecute a 6 year old.
charge the parent responsible for ensuring that the firearm was secure from first-graders
Why is this a head scratcher? Since VA don't have a minimum age. punish the child! punish the gun owner allowing the child to get access. A teacher is dead. NOT by accident. that 6yr old had to have practice. hold adults responsible for the child actions
The segment on air this morning mentioned nothing about holding the mother responsible. That seems like the obvious answer. There is no reason that gun shouldn’t have been locked up.
I’m sure that the child is in the custody of CPS while this “situation” is investigated THOROUGHLY… As far as prosecuting the child, No! As far as prosecuting the parent(s):
Prosecute the adult who exhibited lax safety by allowing the 6 yr old to take a gun to school. Lots of counseling and mental health care and attention for the 6yr old.
You can tell the kid is white because had he been black, he'd surely be tried as an adult... had he survived the arrest.
You don’t; you arrest their parents.
You prosecute the person responsible for the 6 y/o having access to that gun. Elementary answer.
Prosecute the parents….
Sorry becsully, your framing of this is ridiculous. There is nothing uncomfortable about prosecuting the person responsible for allowing this child access to a gun.
A 6 year old is a child. You hold the adult who gave him access to a loaded gun responsible.
You can’t prosecute a six-year-old for an adult crime. The responsible parties are that child’s legal guardians, whoever they may be.
The parents HELLOOOOO
Foster care
Prosecute the parents. Like you actually need to be told this.
What could a 6-year-old possibly learn from serving a jail sentence?
You can’t prosecute a 6 year old. You can get him some mental health help. His mom should be prosecuted.
start by charging the parents. It was his MOTHER's gun. SHE needs to be prosecuted for several things...
Once again nothing will change after this. For too many this is seen as a side effect of freedom. It's okay to have side effects from freedom but not vaccines. It's okay to have side effects from freedom, but talk about the side effects of centuries of racial injustice....
6 years old. He's a baby. Why is the question not 'How should they prosecute the adults that allowed a tot to access a handgun?'
Easy. Charge the parent(s)/guardian who had the gun.
Start with prosecuting his parents for Murder - Depraved Indifference.
The mother must be held accountable. She didn’t secure the gun in a locked safe as she should.
By protecting the parents who put the gun in the kids hand, then getting the kid whatever help they need.
It's called 'Criminal Negligence' by the parents who left the gun unsecured so a child could get at it. It's a crime on the books.
Simple, start with the parents
Umm like a crime.
We need to ban all guns.
6 year olds can’t form intent and are by law literally incompetent to stand trial. Kid needs to be in an inpatient psych facility (where he may be now for all I know). Then placed in a foster home. It’s not a great answer, but it’s what should happen.
Attempted manslaughter, criminal negligence, child neglect, child endangerment
Oh for the love of… You're supposed to be reputable journalists. STOP FRAMING THE QUESTION IN A WAY THAT ERASES THE CRIME. The CRIME wasn't committed by a 1st grader. It was committed by the ADULT(S) whose gross criminal negligence allowed a baby access to a deadly weapon.
You don’t prosecute a 6-year old, you prosecute the parent.
Prosecute the parents!
his parents would be a good start? DUH!
Easy. By charging the parents with negligence. In no situation should it be OK for a six-year-old to be able to bring in a handgun - from his own home - and use it to shoot someone. The child isn't responsible for it - the parents are.
You don’t. You charge the parents.
The question is only uncomfortable for adults who don't want to be held responsible for the dangerous tools they bring into their homes and leave accessible to children. Kid cuts a hand off with a bandsaw that was left out while unsupervised. Parents are charged. Same thing.
The parents should be held accountable. Guns don’t just appear in 6 year olds hands
The parents provided the weapon, taught the child how to shoot n made the gun accessible with ammunition…it’s a no brainer..parents need to be charged.
How about we prosecute every single lawmaker in the NRA’s pocket? Makes sense to me.
No. Now how about they go after the person/people who let the kid get their 6yo hands on the gun? Why is this even a question?
Take him away from his shitty parents
It’s a sad indictment of our country
Arrest the parents.
Prosecute the parent(s), and ban that/those individuals from EVER owning a gun again, since it's obvious they don't have the first clue about gun safety.
Start with the parent/s.
Read an article that said the teacher 'Despite being shot in the chest through her hand, she made sure all her students made it out of the classroom just after the shooting, Drew said. She was the last to leave her classroom, making her way to the administration office.'
The parents need prison time. They did this.
Yea that's the hardest part of this whole situation. Figuring out how much to punish the 6 year old. Shut da fuck up
Who wants to bet the parent is black? Anyone
u dont..it seems this wouldn't happen without the help of a adult
PROSECUTE the PARENTS.
I'm pretty sure that the real crime is the fact that a 6 year old was able to acquire a loaded gun...
Prosecute the parents/guardians
In my dreams: Prosecute the leadership of the NRA. It would help stop the flow of funding for the GOP.
Intent was cultivated into the child. He's got problems but criminal liability is on the parent.
More misinformation by NPR. “Uncomfortable?” God forbid any authority asks an uncomfortable question.
Easily, just like they have done many times before! Many kids have been charged as an adult, ya know!! He shouldn’t be allowed into the world for a long time! Obviously he knew what he was doing 6 or not he tried to Fucken kill his teacher!!! Kid has serious mental issues!
Gun control must start with gun control. Owners of guns must be held liable for securing their guns with trigger locks, locked cabinets and even alarm systems if necessary. Every year children kill children with unsecured guns. If you own it, you're responsible for it.
They should be prosecuting whoever bought the gun & whoever bought the ammunition. Because the 6 year old didn’t buy them. They should be prosecuting whoever allowed a child to have access to the weapon & ammunition. The child should be in counseling & away from those adults.
Keep them after school for 12 years?
Start with the parents
➡️Prosecute the mom to the fullest ➡️Terminate all parental rights ➡️Find competent parents for the child ➡️Long term state funded therapy for the child
I mean, there were adults this kid was living with who didn't properly store their weapons? Starting there would probably be good?
Make his parents sit thru first grade again. Obviously, they could benefit from being re-educated.
Lock him or her up!
This isn't difficult. He needs intense inpatient psychiatric care.
Arrest the parents for negligence & child endangerment. Remove the children from the home. Why is this hard to grasp?
In a year or 2 this child won't even remember this, But the whole thing is very sad.
According to leftists a six year old is old enough to choose his/her sex and can make the decision to change his/her sex without parental consent so I’m thinking that this kid should be treated as any typical shooter.
Ignore it and pretend it never happened, of course. It's a gun issue in America, we like to pretend those don't exist.
Parents are complicit so investigate and “handle” everything and everyone.
Charge his parents for not securing the gun. Send the kid to therapy
Parents are responsible for that crime.
They don't. They charge the person who owned the gun a child was able to get. The child needs therapy but not as punishment either.
look at the parents and how he was able to get the gun.
Prosecute the parent(s)
start with the child's parent who made the gun accessible
Prosecute the parents! My god, why is this even a question? They left a loaded weapon unsecured. Reckless endangerment at the least.
Have CPS permanently remove the shooter from a clearly dangerous household. Arrest the owner of the weapon, for not securing it.
Is this for real? You prosecute the parents. Failure to protect.
Involve the parents of the minor child
Parents, dealer, and manufacturers surrender their net worth to family of the slain and go to jail forever. This is neither uncomfortable nor hard, it's just that powerful interests oppose it.
What about the mother who allowed a 1st grader get her gun
Look at the parents and whoever left a gun accessible to a 6 year old.
I mean...criminal negligence, at least, for whomever owned the gun. Can't be that difficult.
The most bizarre thing about this,is how far all of these news outlets are going to pretend this child has no family.
Prosecute the adult owners of the weapon who negligently allowed the child to access the weapon. No difficult thought necessary.
In this case? The caregivers should be the ones prosecuted. A 6-year-old cannot understand the ramifications of decisions like this.
Simple. You prosecute the parents who are responsible for their child’s access to firearms.
The fact that he carried out such a plan leaves little hope that he will have any semblance of a “normal” childhood. Hard to imagine what his upbringing has been like so far, but if trying to kill your teacher is a result?
Prosecute the parents!
Find the kid a good foster family.
That child never should have had access to a weapon. Parents bare majority of the responsibility. I highly doubt a 6 year old is capable of fully understanding the consequences of what they have done. They should've never had had access to that weapon.
America's gun laws are out-of-date and quite pathetic. The country needs to grow up. Post-Dunblane UK is a good model.
Easy, prosecute the parents.
Oh please… if it would have been a black or brown child, he would have already been lynched. But lil white cracker & his parents r gonna suffer d same consequences as d orange turd & his band of deplorables 4 organizing & executing d failed coup.
You prosecute the parent who allowed the child access to a deadly weapon. It's actually pretty simple.
This is why all gun owners should be required to buy $2m liability insurance
By punishing the parent(s).
But putting firearms manufacturers behind bars?
A 6 year old “in custody” should be “in protective custody.” Lock the parents up. Take away any other kids as they are also at risk.
Hold the parents responsible.
Here’s the deal. You don’t. It’s a first grader. 5 y/o. You put them in therapy and rehabilitate them.
By charging the parents.
Has anyone checked in on the gun? I sure hope the gun is OK.
You charge the person who left the gun laying around where a first grader can get their hands on it as if they pulled the trigger with intent themselves
Isn't this covered by the good guy with a gun mantra the NRA keeps pushing There's some sarcasm involved here....
The mother needs to be held accountable and prosecuted, but that kid is also going to need some serious therapy. They can’t let him fall through the cracks just so that he can become another future school shooter.
This shouldn’t be difficult. He did an adult crime, charge him for such and stick him in a juvenile facility. Hard luck, but shouldn’t have done it.
Make them go stand in the corner while you prosecute the parents
While you don’t charge the 6yo there has to be some form of consequences. Todays crime problems are a result of no accountability at early ages. The parent(s) should get jail time. And the teacher should sue in civil court.
This could have easily been stopped by a good kindergartner with a gun.
Arrest the gun owner for not securing their weapon. They consider this uncomfortable? That woman let her six year old find a loaded gun and nearly kill someone. LockHerUp maybe she’ll learn to lock up her gun.
Make him repeat first grade.
If it's not a crime to allow a 6-year-old to take possession of a deadly weapon and transport that to a public building in Virginia law, then it probably should be.
Start with the parents.
'Authorities' do not have the right to be 'uncomfortable' about this case. Those of us with common sense have been uncomfortable for decades knowing that the American gun fetish results in incidents like these. 'Authorities' can spare us their false, impotent outrage.
Only in an Idiocracy is this an 'uncomfortable question.'
In the same way I suggested to Washington DC Authority,time is of the essence for Lawmakers not only to pass a bill banning minors any access to and use of lethal weapons but hold parents accountable on negligence of protection & prevention roles in our homes
Arrest and charge the person who owns the gun and failed to properly secure it. Easy.
The NRA has blood on its hands.
Charge the parents with Criminal Negligence for leaving a gun out in the open where their kid could snatch it.
I should think it obvious: prosecute the parents who let the gun be accessible.
Here’s a hint: Focus on the person who left a loaded weapon within easy reach of a 6 year old.
Hiw about prosecuting the parents who let their child have access to a firearm?
You prosecute the parents, not the child
You don't charge a 6 year old, you get them help. The parent on the other hand needs to be dealt with....
Start with whoever allowed the kid to get ahold of a gun
You just assumed a gender? You're slipping, NPR.
Why is this such a difficult question? Where was the gun? Who did it belong to? Obviously, it was not secured, and whoever didn't secure it should be held accountable. Easy!
Easy Peasy. The parents.
You don't prosecute the child, you send the child for counseling and you prosecute THE ADULTS for leaving an unsecured loaded weapon in the reach of a 6 year old. It's not HARD, it's not UNCOMFORTABLE.
It's parents.
Charge the parents with negligent behavior. Take the child away and put them with a different family member and regular psychiatric doctor visits.
It’s really hard to say. You didn’t tell us the race of the child. So we don’t know if he never had a chance or if he is Satan in blinky sneakers. Report more goodliful.
What is so uncomfortable? Criminal Negligence for starters. Endangering a minor. Child neglect. Seems comfortable to me.
parents
You arrest the parents and that kid should go to reform t
It’s a sad situation for all involved. It’s clearly a parental issue. The poor kid has trash for parents. You can’t prosecute a 6 y/o & if you prosecute the parents, the kid ends up w/no parents. Tough call on this one…
If it were me I'd charge the parents and make an example out of them.
Charge his parents
'The time between 6 and 8 is one of tremendous cognitive change for children. They move from being preschoolers into middle childhood, from a life dominated by fantasy to one that is beginning to be governed by logic and reason.'
If the kid is Black, they'll prosecute them as if they were an adult...like they always do.
Charge the parents with criminal negligence. See, I helped
The gun owner is held responsible. It's not hard.
The mother of the child should also be prosecuted.